USF volleyball played their first two home matches this week, hosting the South Florida Invitational. 

South Florida recorded a win against UNF Thursday, and a loss versus North Carolina State on Saturday.

The Bulls (4-4, 0-0 AAC) record now sits at .500 after splitting their opening home series.

Bulls down… Bulls up

USF entered the match versus UNF riding a three-game win streak, including a win against No.10 Florida. The Bulls carried the momentum from Gainesville to Tampa, defeating the Ospreys in a 3-0 sweep on Thursday.

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The first set began as a back-and-forth battle, tying several times before the Ospreys took the slight 20-18 lead. 

Senior setter Caroline Dykes then assisted on consecutive kills – one by junior outside hitter Ally Cavanaugh, and another by grad student outside hitter Naiya Sawtelle – to tie the set up once more. The two scores were part of a 7-2 run that led to a 25-22 Bulls victory in set one.

North Florida again held a lead in set two, gaining a 16-14 advantage. Again, USF battled back, with four straight points to take a 20-16 lead, and eventually the 25-22 set win.

The Ospreys didn’t make the sweep easy, as they held a 23-22 lead late in the match. However, UNF wouldn’t score again as South Florida rattled off three straight points to win the match. 

Sophomore libero Lia Schneider served the game winning ace, her seventh of the season.

The streak is over

The Bulls had the chance to extend their win streak to five on Saturday against NC State, but fell short in a 3-1 match loss.

The Wolfpack dominated the first set as USF struggled to find its rhythm. The Bulls took an early 5-4 lead before NC State went on a 15-7 run to take the lead by 8 points at 19-7. 

The Wolfpack would go on to win the set 25-17.

The second set was more competitive between the two teams, needing extra points to decide the winner. Tied at 25, the Wolfpack committed a service error, followed by a kill by Sawtelle for a Bulls 27-25 win. 

In set three, South Florida found itself down 18-11. Needing a rally, it got one, as it ran off a 6-2 run, cutting the lead to three with a score of 20-17. 

However, The Wolfpack was able to fend off the USF comeback and win the set 25-23.

In the game-deciding fourth set, the Bulls took an early 9-7 lead. NC State battled back to go up one with a score of 12-11, and didn’t look back as it led the rest of the way for a 25-19 win.

The loss was USF’s first at home since last year, when North Texas defeated them on Oct. 20.

Words from coach Jolene Shepardson

After the loss versus NC State, coach Jolene Shepardson said the defeat was a chance for improvement – something her playersare always striving for.

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“Our players love to get better,” said Shepardson. “They’re going to come into the gym motivated to learn, and we’re going to continue to sharpen our game.”

The Bulls had trouble with serves on both sides of the net against the Wolfpack, including six service errors in the first set. 

Shepardson acknowledged the issue, but noted that her team is more than capable in that aspect of the game.

“Yeah, they’re [NC State] a phenomenal serving team, but we can do that too,” Shepardson said. “It’s an aggressive part of our game, our serving, and we got to know that we can create those runs with our serves and put that pressure on them as well.”

As the Bulls finish their homestand, they will travel to Fort Myers to play in the FGCU tournament. 

Their first match will be against the home team, the Eagles, on Thursday. 

FGCU leads the all-time series 9-3, including a win last time out on Sept.1, 2023.